Draft:Dr. Sharrell D. Luckett

• Comment: articles are based on reliable independent sources, there are none here. Theroadislong (talk) 18:44, 16 October 2024 (UTC)

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Sharrell D. Luckett
Born	Atlanta, GA
Nationality	American
Education	University of Missouri-Columbia (PhD) Kennesaw State University (MEd) Columbus State University Georgia State University (BIS) University of Georgia
Alma mater	University of Missouri-Columbia Kennesaw State University Georgia State University
Occupation(s)	Theatre Director, Scholar, Author, Distinguished Professor, Artist Management
Known for	Black Acting Methods, Luckett Paradigm
Notable work	Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches Tarell Alvin McCraney: Theater, Performance, and Collaboration African American Arts: Activism, Aesthetics, and Futurity YoungGiftedandFat
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Movement	Actor Training Transformation
Black Acting Methods
Website	Official Website

Sharrell D. Luckett (shuh-RELL dee LOO-ket) is an American scholar, author, and theatre artist known for her contributions to the fields of performance studies, African American theatre, and cultural studies. She holds a doctorate in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia and has established herself as a prominent figure in the performing arts and academia.

Early Life and Education

Born in the 1980s and raised in Atlanta, Sharrell first began cultivating her many talents, writing poetry and songs at a very young age. As a teen, she auditioned for and was accepted into the top-ranked drama program at Tri-Cities High School for the Visual & Performing Arts, sharing the hallways with the likes of Outkast, Kandi Burruss, and Kenan Thompson.

While a student at Georgia State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Sharrell studied music business law and artist management with some of the top entertainment lawyers in the Southeast. Around this time, she was also discovered by Paragon Management, a talent agency that represented songwriters and producers.

Her passion for the arts led her to delve into research that would later shape her career. Sharrell also holds a doctorate in Theatre with an emphasis in Performance Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Career

Sharrell's career spans both the arts and academia. As one of the most influential voices and theorists of her generation in the performing arts, she has held talks and fellowships at notable institutions such as Harvard University, Cornell University, Northwestern University, and 92Y. Her research focuses broadly on Black Studies and Women's Studies, and she has published numerous articles and books on the subject.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Luckett has made significant contributions to the world of theatre. As a theatre artist, she has staged canonical works, such as Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and adapted by Lydia Diamond, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and In the Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Her acting students have been scouted by 20th Century Fox, Joy Pervis Talent Agency, and Wilhelmina. They have also won myriad awards in acting competitions, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Ensemble. Her work often reflects a deep engagement with social and cultural issues.

At the University of Cincinnati, Sharrell is Director of the Helen Weinberger Center for Drama and Playwriting, Taft Distinguished Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies, affiliate faculty in the departments of Africana Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and a faculty collaborator with one of the nation's leading performance conservatories, the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

Black Acting Methods

Sharrell and Dr. Tia M. Shaffer's #1 Best-Selling, award-winning book, Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches, introduced and defined the field of "black acting methods." This achievement made Sharrell and the work of the Black Acting Methods Studio vanguards in the movement to transform the way we teach performing arts.

Sharrell is the founding Executive Director of the Black Acting Methods Studio, a face-to-face, virtual, and mobile performance training institution.

The Luckett Paradigm: An Acting Methodology

The Luckett Paradigm is a performance methodology where practice and theory are guided by four overlapping, intersecting Afrocentric dimensions: Core-Creation, Orientation, Dialogic Devising, and Resuscitation. The Paradigm involves empowered authorship, musical sensibilities, spirituality, activism, ensemble building, reverence for Black culture, and creation without a script. In addition, it focuses on breath, body, confidence, mental health, and imagination.

The Luckett Paradigm is a comprehensive approach that cultivates culturally grounded and versatile actors capable of creating compelling performances both with and without scripts. It transcends medium boundaries, making it equally applicable to theatre, television, and film. Moreover, it emphasizes nurturing the spiritual dimensions of the creative process while equipping actors with psychological tools for cultural affirmation and resilience, particularly in audition rooms and acting studios. Additionally, it fosters engagement in activist and social justice endeavors through performance and recognizes the complexities and challenges inherent in the experience of being a Black actor in America.

The Luckett Paradigm is influenced by the work of Freddie Hendricks (b.1954), an African American theatre director and teacher who created full-length musicals and dramas with youth and young adults, often without a script. Hendricks trained students primarily at the esteemed Tri-Cities High School in Atlanta, GA, and in his theatre company, the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta.

Selected Works

Spanning the disciplines of theatre, Black studies, performance studies, and fat studies, Sharrell's celebrated books include:

• Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches
• YoungGiftedandFat: An Autoethnography of Size, Sexuality, and Privilege
• African American Arts: Activism, Aesthetics, and Futurity
• Tarell Alvin McCraney: Theater, Performance, and Collaboration (edited with David Román and Isaiah M. Wooden)
• Transweight: Poems From an Undercover Fat Girl<ref>[Transweight Book SDLuck